Cotton Bowl Rewind: Missouri 14, Ohio State 3
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ohio State’s biggest question marks going into this season involved quarterback and offensive line.
By the time it wrapped up with a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, those seemed as unresolved as they were back in the summer.
Kyle McCord, who started behind center in the regular season after prevailing in a competition to follow C.J. Stroud, transferred to Syracuse earlier this month.
The departure left Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz to replace him against the Tigers, but neither took the mantle.
The offensive line afforded them little protection as it allowed four sacks and had trouble igniting much of a ground game to take pressure off the inexperienced passers. The Buckeyes were held below 100 rushing yards for the third time in 2023.
As another offseason gets underway, they will have to sort through the same issues that held them back this year.
Here are more stats and observations from the Buckeyes’ loss:
Star of the game
Missouri running back Cody Schrader had 128 rushing yards, 68 of those in the fourth quarter as the All-American wore down the Buckeyes and powered their late touchdown drives.
Other standouts
Defensive end Jack Sawyer was dominant in the backfield for Ohio State, sacking quarterback Brady Cook three times and getting a credit for a hurry. Defensive tackle Ty Hamilton also had two tackles for loss, providing disruption from the interior with Tyleik Williams and Mike Hall Jr.
Turning point
After rallying around Brown in the aftermath of McCord’s transfer to Syracuse earlier this month, it was an early setback to lose him to a high ankle sprain, and it thrust Kienholz into a difficult position behind an offensive line that appeared to have regressed since November.
Second-guessing
Would the Buckeyes have been better off turning to Tristan Gebbia to replace Brown? A seventh-year senior who transferred from Oregon State nearly a year ago, Gebbia started for the Beavers over 2020 and 2019 and might have been a steadier hand if they were to prevail against a top-10 team. But coach Ryan Day said Kienholz had taken most of the backup reps and was a better fit for their gameplan. Kienholz also figures into their long-term plans, while Gebbia’s eligibility is expiring.
Repercussions
The injury to Brown kept the Buckeyes from getting much of an evaluation of a passer who would appear to be their frontrunner heading into next year. Sorting out that dynamic was one of the biggest priorities for Ohio State in its bowl game, and it was instead left to enter a second straight offseason of uncertainty at the position.
Confidence calculator
7/10: Without clarity at quarterback, it’s hard to be too bullish on the Buckeyes at this juncture.
Numbers to know
4.7: Average yards per play for Missouri, which was held to a season-low by Ohio State.
6: Sacks by the Buckeyes, their most since the hiring of Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator and a win over Tulsa in 2021.
13.3: Third-down conversion percentage by Ohio State, which moved the chains only twice on 15 attempts.
16: Combined punts between the Buckeyes and Tigers.
203: Total yards of offense by Ohio State, its fewest in a game since it totaled just 132 yards in its 17-14 loss to Michigan State in 2015.
Depth chart development
The Buckeyes reconfigured their offensive line with Matt Jones, the sixth-year senior right guard, replacing redshirt freshman Carson Hinzman as the starting center, the first shakeup for the unit all year. Enokk Vimahi, a redshirt senior, then started at right guard. Day said Hinzman had “a tough time the last couple weeks of practice,” prompting the shift. Jones had rotated behind him previously in a win at Michigan State last month.
What’s next
For a second straight year, the Buckeyes move into an offseason having lost consecutive games, unable to bounce back following a loss to archrival Michigan. They at least gave Georgia a scare in their College Football Playoff semifinal loss last December, while there was no momentum or solace to be found in North Texas.
Final thought
Ohio State only added to its dubious mark against the Southeastern Conference in the postseason as it fell to 2-13 all-time against teams from the league in bowl and national championship games. Three of those losses have been under Day to end three out of the last four seasons.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football analysis from Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri
